Social Media Politics

Dan Schill is Professor in the School of Communication Studies and Affiliate Professor in Political Science at James Madison University, where he teaches courses in advocacy, political communication, research methods, and media and politics. His research focuses on communication, politics, media, and technology.John Allen Hendricks is Chair of the Department of Mass Communication and Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, a member of the University of Texas System, where he teaches courses in communication theory, research methods, First Amendment law, and media and politics. He has authored/edited more than 12 books and has received book awards from the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Broadcast Education Association (BEA).

“Pernicious levels of political disharmony, partisan divides, and uncivil discourse, occurring in an information environment dominated by social media, combined to create a perfect storm in the 2020 presidential election, the aftermath of which is still being felt today. Bringing together a mix of established and emerging scholars, Social Media Politics provides insightful new ways to make sense – both theoretically and practically – of the role of communication in contemporary politics. Highly recommended to students, scholars, journalists, and practitioners.”Michael X. Delli Carpini, Oscar H. Gandy Emeritus Professor of Communication and Democracy, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania“No one doubts that social and digital media are contributing mightily to the vicious polarization in our politics. Waves of disinformation originate on Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest—and feed dangerous attacks on democracy, as we saw on January 6, 2021 with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Effective solutions aren’t easy to find, but Professors Dan Schill and John Allen Hendricks, and their distinguished group of contributors, dig deep and show us how devilish the problem is. This book will leave every reader with a much better sense of what our political system is facing.”Larry J. Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics

• Part 1: Social media and Political Disharmony 1. Social Media Bonding and Bridging in the Political Polarization of the 2020 Presidential Election Hyun Jung Yun 2. Incivility in 2020 Presidential Candidate Social Media Posts and Posts That Cite Them Kate Kenski, Steve Rains, Yotam Shmargad, Kevin Coe and Steve Bethard 3. Emotional Contagion as the New Propaganda? Fear and Anger Framing Effects in Facebook Political Advertising on Engagement Abby Hendricks Salopek, Kristen Sussman, and Pooja Iyer 4. Presidential Tweets in The News: How Did the Partisan News Media Report on the Candidates’ Tweets during the US 2020 Presidential Election Campaign? Monica Ancu, Miyoung Chong, and Stephen Song Part 2: Social Media and Partisan Division 5. How Social Media Shaped Political Expression, Partisan Identity, and Trumpism Resistance Efforts During the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Pamela A. Labbe 6. Voters-Turned-Political Influencers: Social Media Users Maintain Popularity by Cultivating Support for 2020 US Presidential Election Candidates Katelyn Brooks and Mariah Wellman 7. Platform Guardrails: Social Media Accountability and Political Communication Joshua M. Scacco, Andrew Anderson, and Mitchell Popovic 8. The ‘Big Lie’ Lurked Online: Social Media and Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Prior to Election 2020 Sharon E. Jarvis and Dakota Park-Ozee 9. Information Warfare Fostering Political Polarization: Facebook Addiction, News Credibility, and Concern of Foreign Interference Danielle R. Mehlman-Brightwell and Mark J. Piwinsky Part 3: Social Media and Political Discourse 10. The Politically Engaged: Gen Z’s Use of Social Media During The 2020 Presidential Elections Nune Grigoryan 11. Advancing Populist Rhetoric through the ‘Migrant Caravan’ Frame Daniela V. Dimitrova and Beau Coberley 12. Late-Night Political Humor and the 2020 Presidential Campaign: Still All Trump, All the Time By Stephen J. Farnsworth, S. Robert Lichter, and Farah Latif 13. Blame the Cobwebs or the Spiders? The Impact of Social Media use on Political Knowledge, Talk, and Participation Alec Tefertiller and Raluca Cozma 14. Narrating the Pandemic: Compounding Crisis, Politics & Presidential Responses Connections Between Communication Ecology and Collective Memory Daryl A. Carter and Mildred F. “Mimi” Perreault